UNITAR International University has collaborated with content creator, producer, and influencer Joshua Michael on ‘Sattham’ (சத்தம்), a 14-minute Tamil-language Deepavali short film that places a classroom creativity challenge at the center of a story about family, memories, and belonging.
Meaning “Sound,” ‘Sattham’ follows Mr Raman, a lecturer who challenges his students to rethink festive storytelling after they present him with a conventional, overly dramatic Deepavali advertisement. As they search for a more authentic idea, they discover that their lecturer has a story of his own.
The film combines comedy, satire, and emotional storytelling to explore the sounds of family celebrations that can feel overwhelming yet become deeply missed in their absence.
UNITAR said the collaboration brings its educational identity into the narrative, with the classroom as a space where students question familiar ideas, respond to feedback, and discover how personal experiences can inspire meaningful creative work.
“Education has the power to ignite curiosity and give people the confidence to explore their ideas,” said Timothy Johnson, Chief Commercial Officer of UNITAR Education Group.
“In Sattham, that spark begins with a lecturer challenging his students to look beyond the obvious and discover a story worth telling. Deepavali also reminds us of the warmth we bring into one another’s lives. We wanted that warmth to radiate through a story rooted in Malaysian experiences, with humour and relationships that audiences can recognise. This collaboration gives creative expression to what UNITAR stands for: encouraging people to find their voice and helping their potential shine.”
Joshua Michael served as creative lead and producer, overseeing story development, screenplay, creative direction, and execution with the production team. He previously collaborated with UNITAR on the web series BADEP.
“From the beginning, we wanted to play with familiar festive advertising conventions while telling a story with genuine emotional weight,” said Michael.
“Making the lecturer, students and classroom central to the narrative gave the collaboration a meaningful connection to UNITAR. Ultimately, Sattham is about the things we take for granted. The conversations, laughter and noise of Deepavali can feel chaotic, but they are also the sounds of belonging. We hope audiences enjoy the humour and leave thinking differently about their own celebrations.”
Malaysian actor Ganesan Manohgaran plays Mr Raman. The cast also includes Hashaanthan, Aiswarya, Pugeal, Gunamax, Marie Dashani, Mohan Chandra Dass, and Bibiana Anthony. According to the release, casting focused on believable relationships, comedic timing, and the ability to convey the story’s emotional nuances.
The film uses natural, conversational Tamil with English subtitles.
